Articulating crossbar for a vehicle

ABSTRACT

A roof rack system is provided for affixing to a vehicle having a plurality of mounting locations. The roof rack system comprises a crossbar comprising a first end and a second end. The crossbar is configured to allow mounting of equipment. The roof rack system further comprises a first stanchion coupled to the first end of the crossbar by a first swivel joint. The roof rack system further comprises a second stanchion coupled to the second end of the crossbar by a second swivel joint. The first and second stanchions are configured to mount to respective mounting locations of the plurality of mounting locations.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This disclosure claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/760,866, filed Nov. 13, 2018, which is hereby incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

INTRODUCTION

Current roof rack systems for vehicles typically allow adjustabilityonly in the cross-vehicle direction. For example, this can beaccomplished by lengthening or shorting the distance between themounting feet to adjust to the body mounting features, which support andfasten the rack to the roof. However, this approach may require themounting features in the body to be commonly placed, square to bodygrid, planar to ground, able to slide fore/aft on a rail system, or acombination thereof. In some circumstances, such constraints limit theversatility of a roof rack to only be used in specific locations (e.g.,a crossbar can be a front crossbar or a rear crossbar). It would beadvantageous for a roof rack system to be versatile such that it couldbe mounted at various locations.

SUMMARY

In some embodiments, a cargo rack system, e.g., a roof rack system, isprovided for affixing to a vehicle having a plurality of mountinglocations. The roof rack system comprises a crossbar comprising a firstend and a second end. The crossbar is configured to allow mounting ofequipment. The roof rack system further comprises a first supportmember, e.g., a first stanchion, coupled to (or near to) the first endof the crossbar by a first moveable coupling, e.g., a first swiveljoint. The roof rack system may further comprise a second supportmember, e.g., a second stanchion, coupled to (or near to) the second endof the crossbar by a second moveable coupling, e.g., a second swiveljoint. The first and second stanchions are configured to mount torespective mounting locations of the plurality of mounting locations.

In some embodiments, the plurality of mounting locations comprises apair of mounting locations at a cargo bed of the vehicle. In someembodiments, the plurality of mounting locations comprises a pair ofmounting locations at a roof of the vehicle. The respective mountinglocations may comprise a forward location on a first side of the vehicleand a rearward location on a second side of the vehicle.

In some embodiments, the first swivel joint comprises a ball joint. Thefirst swivel joint may be configured to allow the crossbar to rotaterelative to the first stanchion about at least one rotational axis. Thefirst swivel joint may be configured to allow the crossbar to rotaterelative to the first stanchion about three rotational axes.

In some embodiments, the roof rack system further comprises a firstlocking mechanism configured to constrain the relative motion of thecrossbar and the first stanchion. The locking mechanism may comprise aclamping mechanism configured to hold the swivel joint in an orientationby friction forces.

In some embodiments, the crossbar is configured to be adjustable inlength. In some embodiments, the crossbar comprises a feature formounting equipment.

In some embodiments, the first stanchion is configured to be mounted tothe respective mounting location in a single orientation. In someembodiments, the first stanchion comprises a latching mechanismconfigured to engage with a feature of the respective mounting location.

In some embodiments, the plurality of mounting locations are regularlyarranged in a grid relative to the vehicle. In some embodiments, theplurality of mounting locations are arranged in a non-grid relative tothe vehicle. In some embodiments, each of the plurality of mountinglocations comprises a respective orientation relative to the vehicle.For example, each respective orientation may be the same as each otherrespective orientation. As another example, each respective orientationmay be different from each other respective orientation.

In some embodiments, a method for securing a roof rack system to avehicle is provided. The roof rack system comprises a crossbarcomprising a first end and a second end. The crossbar is configured toallow mounting of equipment. The roof rack system further comprises afirst support member, e.g., a first stanchion, coupled to the first endof the crossbar by a first moveable coupling, e.g., a first swiveljoint. The roof rack system further comprises a second support member,e.g., a second stanchion, coupled to the second end of the crossbar by asecond moveable coupling, e.g., a second swivel joint. The methodcomprises affixing the first stanchion to a first mounting location ofthe vehicle. The method further comprises articulating the first swiveljoint to achieve a first orientation. The method further comprisesarticulating the second swivel joint to achieve a second orientation.The method further comprises affixing the second stanchion to a secondmounting location of the vehicle.

In some embodiments, affixing the second stanchion is performed afterarticulating the first swivel joint and after articulating the secondswivel joint. In some embodiments, articulating the first swivel jointand articulating the second swivel joint are performed simultaneously.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises locking the firstswivel joint. In some embodiments, the method further comprises lockingthe second swivel joint. In some embodiments, the method furthercomprises articulating the first swivel joint comprises achieving atarget detent position.

It will be understood that the term roof rack or roof rack system, asused herein, is used to describe any type of cargo rack or cargo racksystem, e.g., a vehicle cargo rack or vehicle cargo rack system. Theterm roof rack or roof rack system is not limited to a vehicle roof, andmay be applied to a roof, a cargo bed, a hood, a load space, any othersuitable exterior surface of a vehicle, any other suitable interiorsurface of a vehicle, or any combination thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure, in accordance with one or more variousembodiments, is described in detail with reference to the followingfigures. The drawings are provided for purposes of illustration only andmerely depict typical or example embodiments. These drawings areprovided to facilitate an understanding of the concepts disclosed hereinand shall not be considered limiting of the breadth, scope, orapplicability of these concepts. It should be noted that for clarity andease of illustration these drawings are not necessarily made to scale.

FIG. 1A shows a side view of an exemplary roof rack system, inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1B shows a partial front view of an exemplary roof rack system, inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1C shows a partial top view of an exemplary roof rack system, inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1D shows a partial perspective view of an exemplary roof racksystem, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1E a partial top perspective view of an exemplary roof rack systemand an illustrative vehicle, in accordance with some embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 2A shows a top view of an illustrative vehicle having mountinglocations, in accordance with some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2B shows a top view of an illustrative vehicle having mountinglocations with a roof rack system mounted across a rear loadspace of thevehicle, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2C shows a top view of an illustrative vehicle having mountinglocations with a roof rack system mounted across a roof of the vehicle,in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3A shows a top view of an illustrative vehicle having mountinglocations with a roof rack system mounted along a side of the roof ofthe vehicle, in accordance with some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 3B shows a top view of an illustrative vehicle having mountinglocations with a roof rack system mounted across a roof of the vehicle,in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3C shows a top view of an illustrative vehicle having mountinglocations with a roof rack system mounted at a different angle relativeto the vehicle than shown in view 3B, in accordance with someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4A shows a cross section through an illustrative vehicle having aroof rack system mounted across a rear loadspace of the vehicle, inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4B shows a partial cross section through an illustrative vehiclehaving a roof rack system mounted across a roof of the vehicle, inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4C shows a partial cross section through an illustrative vehiclehaving a roof rack system mounted across a roof of the vehicle, inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is directed to vehicle mounting system thatincludes a roof rack configured to accommodate varying angles androtations among specific fixed mounting locations on the vehicle. Forexample, a vehicle may include a plurality of mounting points,distributed around the vehicle exterior (e.g., the substantially upwardfacing surfaces). In some embodiments, the roof rack includes a swiveljoint (e.g., a ball joint, a hinge) at each end. The swivel joint allowsmounting feet to articulate (e.g., rotate) to a suitable latchingposition of the vehicle. The swivel joint allows for the roof rack to bemounted in various positions around the vehicle without having torestrict the mounting positions to be planar or inline (e.g., directlyacross from each other on the sides of the vehicle). A suitable mountingarrangement may be determined among the mounting locations. The swiveljoint may be lockable in an angular position (e.g., for repeatedinstallations with minimal setup).

In an illustrative example, a roof rack may include two stanchionscoupled at respective ends of a crossbar. The stanchions may be mountedto any suitable location on the vehicle (e.g., at suitable mountingports). The stanchions are coupled to the crossbar by swivel joints,such that angles about various axes of rotation of the crossbar relativeto the vehicle may be achieved.

In some embodiments, the use of an articulating roof rack system mayallow the system to be applied to multiple vehicles (e.g., havingdiffering mounting location arrangements, or mounting locationorientations).

FIGS. 1A to 1E show several views of an illustrative roof rack system100 having a crossbar 102 coupled to stanchions 104 by a swivel joint106, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG.1E shows a partial top perspective of a vehicle 108, with two fixedmounting locations 110 (mounting ports) on the vehicle (e.g., along theroof line of one side of the vehicle). Because each of the swivel joints106 allows rotation of the crossbar 102 relative to the stanchion 104,the crossbar 102 is not limited to be mounted across the front mountingports, or the rear mounting ports, but also may be mounted to a frontmounting port and a rear mounting port on the other side of the vehicle108. In an illustrative example, the swivel joint 106 may include a balljoint, allowing the crossbar 102 to articulate among three rotationalaxes (e.g., orthogonal axes). The stanchions 104 mount to the vehicle108 in a fixed orientation, but the crossbar 102 can achieve a range ofangles relative to the stanchions 104, limited by the locations in whichthe stanchions 104 are mounted to the vehicle 108. In accordance withsome embodiments of the present disclosure, the stanchions 104 may bemoveably coupled, e.g., rotationally coupled, to the mounting locations110 by virtue of the swivel joint 106 and/or one or more otherrotational couplings. The crossbar 102 illustrated in FIGS. 1A to 1E isshown having an aerodynamic profile with a t-slot that is capable ofreceiving corresponding connectors that can be used for mounting objectsto the crossbar. It will be understood that this is merely illustrativeand crossbar 102 can be of any suitable shape and can use any suitabletype of connecter, or in some embodiments no connector.

The use of a swivel joint 106 (e.g., a ball joint or a two-pivotmechanism) in each stanchion 104 of the roof rack, when having a fixedmounting location to the vehicle body, allows a crossbar 102 to bemounted in various configurations. For example, a given roof rack system100 may be used for mounting in different mounting positions andmounting planes on the vehicle 108. This allows the stanchions 104(e.g., the mounting anchors) to be positioned in such a way that theyneed not be arranged square or planar to a grid of mounting locations.Indeed, the stanchions 104 may be mounted on any appropriate surface ofa vehicle, such as a sidewall of a loadspace of a vehicle, and at anyappropriate angle.

In an illustrative example, a vehicle may include mounting locations 110along the sides of a cargo bed 112 that are substantially parallel tothe ground and mounting locations 110 along the roof line that lie at aslight angle to the ground. The swivel joints 106 allow the stanchions104 to be mounted to the mounting locations 110 and the crossbar 102 toarticulate relative to the stanchions 104 to accommodate the differentmounting locations, e.g., the different angular orientations of themounting locations 110 relative to the ground. Accordingly, a givencrossbar 102 may be mounted to mounting locations 110 at the cargo bed112 or roof 114. In a further example, the orientation of mountinglocations along a vehicle's roof 114 may be different at differentlocations from front-to-back. Accordingly, a crossbar 102 may be mountedto either a front pair of mounting locations 110 or rear pair ofmounting locations 110.

FIGS. 2A to 2C show three top views of an illustrative vehicle 108having mounting locations 110, in accordance with some embodiments ofthe present disclosure. FIG. 2A shows the vehicle 108 without a roofrack system 100 installed. FIG. 2B shows the vehicle 108 with a roofrack system 100 mounted across a cargo bed 112 of the vehicle 108. FIG.2C shows the vehicle 108 with the roof rack system 100 mounted at therear of the roof 114 of the vehicle 108. In some embodiments, thestanchions 104 may be configured to move along the axis of the crossbar102 in addition to rotation relative to the crossbar 102 (e.g., via arail or other mechanism), to change the distance between the stanchions104 (e.g., the distance between the selected mounting locations 110). Insome embodiments, the crossbar 102 itself may be adjustable in length(e.g., telescoping construction, or sliding extendible components). Forexample, the side-to-side mounting locations at the cargo bed 112 maybe, but need not be, a different distance apart than side-to-sidemounting locations on the roof 114, which may themselves be differentdistances apart (e.g., rear and front need not be the same distanceapart).

FIGS. 3A to 3C show three top views of an illustrative vehicle 108having mounting locations 110. FIG. 3A shows the vehicle 108 with a roofrack system 100 mounted along a side of the roof 114 of the vehicle 108,in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 3Bshows the vehicle 108 with a roof rack system 100 mounted at the frontof the roof 114 of the vehicle 108. FIG. 3C shows the vehicle 108 withthe roof rack system 100 mounted at a different angle relative to thevehicle 108 than shown in FIG. 3B.

FIGS. 4A to 4C show three rearward cross section views of anillustrative vehicle 108 having a roof rack mounted at side-to-sidemounting location pairs (e.g., at a cargo bed 112, rear of the roof 114,and front of the roof 114), in accordance with some embodiments of thepresent disclosure. The roof rack illustrated in FIGS. 4A to 4C includesa ball joint. FIG. 4A shows a roof rack mounted at the cargo bed, e.g.,to the sidewall of the cargo bed 112, wherein the mounting locations 110are parallel to the ground (e.g., the stanchion axis is substantiallynormal to the axis of the crossbar). FIG. 4B shows a roof rack mountedat the rear of the roof 114, wherein the mounting locations 110 areslightly angled relative to the ground (e.g., the stanchion axis issubstantially off-normal to the axis of the crossbar 102). Therespective ball joints allow sufficient articulation to accommodate theslight change in stanchion angle. FIG. 4C shows a roof rack mounted atthe front of the roof 114, wherein the mounting locations 110 aremore-than-slightly angled relative to the ground (e.g., the stanchionaxis is off-normal to the axis of the crossbar). The respective balljoints allow sufficient articulation to accommodate the change instanchion angle. Although the change in angle is relatively small asillustrated in FIGS. 4B and 4C, a swivel joint 106 may allow anysuitable amount of rotational travel about suitable axes (e.g., fromzero degrees to 360 degrees). Some axes of rotation may but need notsupport 360 degrees rotation. For example, a crossbar 102 may be able toarticulate a full 360 degrees about a vertical axis but may be limitedto 90 degrees of rotation about other axes. In a further example, thedimensions of the stanchion 104, crossbar 102, or both, may impact theangular range of motion.

A swivel joint 106 may include one or more degrees of freedom, inaccordance with the present disclosure. A swivel joint 106 may allow anysuitable range(s) of angular travel about any suitable axis or axes. Insome embodiments, a swivel joint 106 may include a hinge, having asingle rotational axis (e.g., one degree of freedom). For example, thesingle rotation axis may be directed front-to-back or side-to-side alongthe vehicle 108.

In some embodiments, the rotational motion may include a detent orotherwise be discretized. For example, a ball joint may include teeth,grooves, pins, holes, ridges, slots, blades, any other suitable featurefor discretizing equilibrium orientations of the ball joint, or anycombination thereof. In some embodiments, a swivel joint may include alocking mechanism 116, e.g., a latching mechanism configured to, whenapplied, constrain at least one degree of freedom (e.g., constrainrotation about a particular axis, or constrain all degrees of freedom).In some embodiments, a swivel joint 106 may include a discrete number ofpredetermined equilibrium orientations. For example, the predeterminedequilibrium orientations may correspond to respective side-to-sidemounting location pairs having respective mounting orientations. In someembodiments, a roof rack system 100 need not include a locking mechanism116. For example, when two crossbars 102 are used and equipment (e.g., astorage bin, a kayak, auxiliary rack or other accessory) is securedacross both crossbars, the equipment mounted to the crossbars 102 maysufficiently constrain motion (e.g., along with the stanchion mountingto the vehicle).

The foregoing is merely illustrative of the principles of thisdisclosure, and various modifications may be made by those skilled inthe art without departing from the scope of this disclosure. The abovedescribed embodiments are presented for purposes of illustration and notof limitation. The present disclosure also can take many forms otherthan those explicitly described herein. Accordingly, it is emphasizedthat this disclosure is not limited to the explicitly disclosed methods,systems, and apparatuses, but is intended to include variations to andmodifications thereof, which are within the spirit of the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A roof rack system for affixing to a vehiclehaving a plurality of mounting locations, the roof rack systemcomprising: a crossbar comprising a first end and a second end, thecrossbar configured to allow mounting of equipment; a first stanchioncoupled to the first end of the crossbar by a first swivel joint; and asecond stanchion coupled to the second end of the crossbar by a secondswivel joint; wherein: the first and second stanchions are configured tomount to respective mounting locations of the plurality of mountinglocations.
 2. The roof rack system of claim 1, wherein the plurality ofmounting locations comprises: a pair of mounting locations at a cargobed of the vehicle; and a pair of mounting location at a roof of thevehicle.
 3. The roof rack system of claim 1, wherein the respectivemounting locations comprise a forward location on a first side of thevehicle and a rearward location on a second side of the vehicle.
 4. Theroof rack system of claim 1, wherein the first swivel joint comprises aball joint.
 5. The roof rack system of claim 1, wherein the first swiveljoint allows the crossbar to rotate relative to the first stanchionabout at least one rotational axis.
 6. The roof rack system of claim 5,wherein the first swivel joint allows the crossbar to rotate relative tothe first stanchion about three rotational axes.
 7. The roof rack systemof claim 1, further comprising a first locking mechanism configured toconstrain the relative motion of the crossbar and the first stanchion.8. The roof rack system of claim 7, wherein the locking mechanismcomprises a clamping mechanism configured to hold the swivel joint in anorientation by friction forces.
 9. The roof rack system of claim 1,wherein the crossbar is configured to be adjustable in length.
 10. Theroof rack system of claim 1, wherein the first stanchion is configuredto be mounted to the respective mounting location in a singleorientation.
 11. The roof rack system of claim 1, wherein the crossbarcomprises a feature for mounting equipment.
 12. The roof rack system ofclaim 1, wherein the first stanchion comprises a latching mechanismconfigured to engage with a feature of the respective mounting location.13. The roof rack system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of mountinglocations are regularly arranged in a grid relative to the vehicle. 14.The roof rack system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of mountinglocations are arranged in a non-grid relative to the vehicle.
 15. Theroof rack system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of mountinglocations comprises a respective orientation relative to the vehicle.16. The roof rack system of claim 15, wherein each respectiveorientation is the same as each other respective orientation.
 17. Theroof rack system of claim 15, wherein each respective orientation isdifferent from each other respective orientation.
 18. A method forsecuring a roof rack system to a vehicle, wherein the roof rack systemcomprises: a crossbar comprising a first end and a second end, thecrossbar configured to allow mounting of equipment; a first stanchioncoupled to the first end of the crossbar by a first swivel joint; and asecond stanchion coupled to the second end of the crossbar by a secondswivel joint, the method comprising: affixing the first stanchion to afirst mounting location of the vehicle; articulating the first swiveljoint to achieve a first orientation; articulating the second swiveljoint to achieve a second orientation; and affixing the second stanchionto a second mounting location of the vehicle.
 19. The method of claim18, wherein affixing the second stanchion is performed afterarticulating the first swivel joint and after articulating the secondswivel joint.
 20. The method of claim 18, wherein articulating the firstswivel joint and articulating the second swivel joint are performedsimultaneously.
 21. The method of claim 18, further comprising: lockingthe first swivel joint; and locking the second swivel joint.
 22. Themethod of claim 18, wherein articulating the first swivel jointcomprises achieving a target detent position.